Honeycombs for bathroom

[section08]

Hey all,

Does anyone have a recommendation as to which Serena Honeycomb Collection works well in the bathroom? I keep getting mixed opinions as to whether honeycombs even belong in the bathroom.

Thanks in advance!

[randyc]

I would have 2 concerns. First is privacy. On a sunny day you will be able to see out better. At night in a lighted room, you will be able to see outside-in better.

Second, honeycomb fabrics tend to be more paper-like. I'd be concerned about the moisture affecting them. Easily resolved by selecting a good fabric.

[section08]

I would have 2 concerns. First is privacy. On a sunny day you will be able to see out better. At night in a lighted room, you will be able to see outside-in better.

Second, honeycomb fabrics tend to be more paper-like. I'd be concerned about the moisture affecting them. Easily resolved by selecting a good fabric.

Thank you. I'm most likely going for the black-out configuration. Do you know if Cyprus vs Monaco vs Rio performs better than the other in damp areas? Luckily the windows are a few feet away from the shower, so it's not a huge risk.

[randyc]

Thank you. I'm most likely going for the black-out configuration. Do you know if Cyprus vs Monaco vs Rio performs better than the other in damp areas? Luckily the windows are a few feet away from the shower, so it's not a huge risk.

No but... if you go to the website you can order samples. I don't believe they charge for samples.

https://www.lutron.com/en-US/Pages/P...mpleOrder.aspx

[PAR-Designer]

I have samples of all the honeycomb fabrics Lutron has offered for the past five years or so, and the differences are in texture, not material. They are all "papery," as that's just the nature of honeycomb fabrics. The blackout versions have a thin, foil-like lining inside the cells.

They'll work fine in a bathroom with good ventilation.

[PAR-Designer]

Also, a note about translucence:

In my experience, you usually want more light in a bathroom, not less. Unless those windows let in so much sun that you want your shades to provide some heat mitigation, I wouldn't go with black-out, which could make the bathroom feel cave-like. The Rio and Monaco light-filtering options would provide appropriate privacy on those windows, since they are not see-though in either direction and it appears that they would overlap the window frames and leave no side gaps. Cypress is a much "gauzier" fabric that doesn't offer the same degree of privacy.

[section08]

Wow this is all extremely helpful, thank you. The only reason I considered all blackout was because I thought it was necessary for the bathroom. If I can get away with light-filtering single-cell everywhere then I might as well go for that. I'm currently looking at designs for 3 bedrooms, a family room, and the 2 small bathroom windows, all south-facing. Currently have a mix of walmart shutter blinds and sheer curtains, and no one seems to mind that so much light comes through. I will get some of the light-filtering single-cell samples and go from there... thanks again!

Also, a note about translucence:

In my experience, you usually want more light in a bathroom, not less. Unless those windows let in so much sun that you want your shades to provide some heat mitigation, I wouldn't go with black-out, which could make the bathroom feel cave-like. The Rio and Monaco light-filtering options would provide appropriate privacy on those windows, since they are not see-though in either direction and it appears that they would overlap the window frames and leave no side gaps. Cypress is a much "gauzier" fabric that doesn't offer the same degree of privacy.

[PAR-Designer]

Wow this is all extremely helpful, thank you. The only reason I considered all blackout was because I thought it was necessary for the bathroom. If I can get away with light-filtering single-cell everywhere then I might as well go for that. I'm currently looking at designs for 3 bedrooms, a family room, and the 2 small bathroom windows, all south-facing. Currently have a mix of walmart shutter blinds and sheer curtains, and no one seems to mind that so much light comes through. I will get some of the light-filtering single-cell samples and go from there... thanks again!

Glad to help! If you're still around, there's one more piece of info/advice that might be helpful. I just looked at photos of those bathroom windows again. Important details we often don't fully explore until we're actually installing stuff like this is...how exactly will the shades sit relative to the window? Where will the brackets go?

The plastic brackets for Lutron's honeycomb shades are rather large, as they're designed to allow battery changes without actually taking the shade down. (You press little buttons on the front of the brackets and the headrail tilts forward, exposing the battery compartments.)

Your application is a little tricky. There's no trim around those windows, which are somewhat recessed below the wall plane. If you wanted to mount your shades "inside" that wall edge, be aware of two considerations:

- First, the shades would still stick out a bit, as that recess isn't deep enough for them to be flush.
- Second, screwing the brackets onto vinyl window frames probably isn't a good idea, as there may not be enough strength and thickness to hold them (and might even interfere with window sash movement).

The brackets have holes to allow attachment into the above surface (typical for mounting shades inside the window jambs) or into the surface behind (typical for over-the-window, wall-mounted shades).

For inside mount, your bathroom windows are limited in both directions (the vinyl windows behind, and nothing to screw into above). Especially if your other windows are similarly detailed...slightly recessed without trim...inside mount doesn't really work for you. You could re-trim the windows specifically to accommodate shade brackets, and it would probably look really nice, but that's a pretty big job in itself! Custom brackets might work, but that's not easy either.

Your other option is to just do over-the-window "outside mount" shades. You would screw the two brackets directly into the wall above the windows. This might not look quite as "custom," but if it's a consistent look throughout the house, it should be fine.

All of this matters because you need to know how you're going to do it before you order your shades. Outside-mount shades need to be wider & longer than the recess opening, but otherwise, the measurement is fairly flexible. Inside-mount width measurements must be done carefully, and the width must be precise.

If you were planning on outside-mount all along, you can ignore all of this! But the last thing you want to do is measure/order for inside mount, get the shades and realize there's no practical way to attach the brackets, and then have a bunch of shades that are too narrow and too short to alternatively mount over the windows!! Yikes.